The Cruise Genius (Scott Lara) Interested in booking a cruise or all-inclusive resort vacation? Be sure to Email: slara1961@gmail.com

Several years ago, a very close friend of mine came down with the dreaded norovirus. He was quarantined to his cabin for a few days, unable to enjoy his TransAtlantic cruise back to the good ole U.S. of A! Here’s the dealio: You will save aggravation and a lot of …

My wife and I have sailed on the Carnival Fascination many times when she was homeported in Jacksonville before she relocated to San Juan Puerto Rico. Due to severe damage to the San Juan cruise port, she will be sailing from Jacksonville on Thursday September 28th for a 4 day …

Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director and Brand Ambassador John Heald states that the cruise port in San Juan has sustained “extensive damage” as a result of Hurricane Maria. John’s post on his Facebook page also states, “…it now appears that it will take several weeks to make the necessary repairs.” Please …

My wife and I have visited San Juan many, many times on Holland America Line. The people are very friendly and when you travel around the island, you see how beautiful the scenery is. Each and every time we visit, we make sure to stop by the fort.   Several …

As you may know, I live in Jacksonville, Florida and I love it. Pretty good weather year round, nice beaches and of course a close drive to various cruise ports! My heart goes out to those Caribbean islands that have been destroyed by Hurricane Irma, yet now we in Florida …

So many people are dreaming of winning the Powerball. Considering the jackpot is now $700 million (and will probably go higher), this is what I would do with the earnings: 1. Quit my job. 2. Give my 2 kids a huge chunk of it. 3. I would charter a Carnival …

Speaking as a travel agent, I always get upset when cruise lines offer free online webinars. Do they really think that travel agents will sit there for one hour and look at slides and them trying to describe a ship or destination to the agent? What makes me even madder …

Now that summer is upon us, the kids will be asking you about the family vacation! Sure, land-based amusement parks are great, but here are 5 reasons you should consider a cruise vacation!     1) Nearby. If you live in Florida, you are probably only a few hours drive …

Back in my day, you could find a travel agent on every corner, but due to technology, many of them have been driven out of business. Many consumers are now going online to big travel websites in the hopes of saving each and every cent on their cruise. The fact …

I’ve been a travel agent for over 10 years, and I have to say that 2017 is a very different than years past. Many new and exciting ships are on the way, but most of them will be carrying thousands of passengers each, which makes the cruise experience less traditional …